LONDON, Feb 8 — A rare 1997 Aston Martin V8 Vantage with less than 16,000 kilometres on the clock going under the hammer at auction would create plenty of interest at the best of times.
But when the car in question was originally ordered and owned by none other than Sir Elton John, it's likely to go for a considerable amount of money. And that's one of the cars that will be going up for sale at Silverstone Auctions Race Retro Classic Car Sale at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry, UK on February 24 and 25.
Sir Elton's hand-built 1997 V8 Vantage V550, which was ordered by the global superstar singer-songwriter brand new from the world-famous Aston Martin factory in Newport Pagnell in the UK, is expected to go for somewhere in the region of between £190,000 and £240,000 (RM1.04 million-RM1.31 million).
The car is finished in black with a black leather interior, and is capable of getting to 100 kph in less than five seconds and can go onwards to a top speed of 300 kph. Considering just how large and heavy this car is, those are seriously impressive numbers.
Silverstone Auctions' classic car specialist, Adam Rutter, says of the car, “Sir Elton is a global superstar and is still making headlines around the world, so it's a pleasure to offer for sale this Aston Martin that he ordered new back in 1997.
“As well as enjoying celebrity ownership, this stunning V8 Vantage has been maintained regardless of expense and has a mere 8,663 miles (14,034 km) on the clock, that's equivalent to being driven about 400 miles (640 km) only a year.”
The interior is said to still have that inimitable “new car” smell, and everywhere you look there's an abundance of sumptuous wood and leather. Only 240 examples of the standard V550 were ever built by Aston Martin, so this car would be a highly collectable model regardless of who had owned it previously.
Bearing the chassis number #70174, the Aston comes complete with its original service books and all invoices. — AFP-Relaxnews
